Devak

A devak, in Marathi culture, is a family guardian or totem in the form of a physical object, such as a tree. Some sources define devak as being distinct from the more generic word totem.

The devak plays an important role in Marathi marriages, as traditionally a man may not marry a woman whose paternal-lineage totem is the same as his own.^[1]

References

1. ^ Census of India, 1901. Census Commissioner Printed at the Rajputana Mission Press, 1903. V. 1.